Batman: Resurrection
by SelenaTheMudkip
Summary: A new take on the old Batman comics. Bruce Wayne has only just become the Batman, and Joker's just admitted into Arkham Asylum. Meet new people, bad and good, as Batman takes on the super villains we all know and love. (Rated M for cursing, violence, and sexual themes.)
1. Joker Interview 1

I'd like to state some stuff before this story begins! This fanfiction is a different take on the Batman comic books. Mostly based off of the Batman: Arkham video game series. (Batman: Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins, and others to come.) Some, (actually, most) things are not the same. It's my own take on the whole deal and if you can't handle that, then maybe you shouldn't read it. I want to make that completely clear. Most characters aren't owned by me, except for a few OC's that I've included. Otherwise, the characters are owned by DC comics and the writers/creators of Batman. Thank you for your interest in my fanfiction, and let the story begin! (Rating/Reviews welcome! Let me know if I should keep writing this or not!)

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><p>"Doctor Harleen Quinzel, was it?" The mans rough voice cut sharply through the air like a blade entering the chest of yet another innocent soul. A blood red smirk danced across his face. "I like that name. It reminds me of-"<p>

"The clown, I know." A sigh pushed its way out of the doctor's mouth involuntarily. Brief memories of her years growing up crept into her mind. The obnoxious little brats that would laugh their asses off at the similarity between her name and that wretched clown, the harlequin. "I've heard it before."

A chuckle let out from the clown, who was sitting opposite from Harleen. They were sitting at a hard, cold table with a single lamp hanging above them. The walls and door were made of steel. The blonde doctor knew that behind that door were multiple guards. She had sent them out to make the murderer that was sitting before her more comfortable, but didn't account for her own discomfort. She had to continually tell herself that she would be okay, but when she looked up at the criminal she saw a smile that was almost at an acute angle on his face, his green eyebrows lowered. This was an evil smile. She found no comfort.

"Doctor... May I call you Harley?" The villain spoke out in a casual tone. His smirk seemed forever embedded on his face, as if it were never going to fade.

"Sure, if you'll answer some questions of mine." Doctor Quinzel answered, leaning forward over the table. Something in the back of her mind made her slightly amused by the whole interaction between the two. She had begged and begged her supervisors for an opportunity to interview the Joker. He was fascinating. He had gotten away with so much, yet no one knew who he was. What caused the insanity that was no doubt going through his mind at this very moment? She wanted to know. Even if she had only just started as a doctor, she _needed_ to know.

"Oh, it would be a pleasure, Harley." Joker said, throwing his head back in laughter. She tried to ignore this gesture. She wasn't being taken seriously.

"Would you be willing to tell me who you are? What your life was like growing up?" Harley asked. It was a bland and obvious question, she knew, but beating around the bush would get her no where. Especially while talking to a man such as the Joker.

"Who am I? Who am _I_? I am the Joker. I am the King of the Clowns. The CEO of Madness and Murder Incorporated. I am Gotham's destiny," As his preaching escalated his voice lowered and his pitch grew dramatically darker. Joker laughed. "Oh, if only we had cameras on us. The public would eat that up."

"How do you feel about killing? What is it to you? A game? Why do you do it? To take Gotham?" Harley questioned, growing more and more enthusiastic by the second. She could barely keep herself from jumping from her lab coat and taking a scalpel to Joker's head, then crawling into his mind to see what really went on in there. If only it were that simple.

"How do I _feel _about murder?" Joker pondered. He seemed naturally confused by the question. "Have you ever watched a person die, Harley? Imagine a person who is completely new to you. Then imagine watching them in intense pain. So much pain that they choke, struggle. Watch them as they grasp onto the small bit of life they have left. Their bodies jerk as if electricity is moving through their bones. You can watch as their eyes widen with fear, they know what's coming now. Then..."

Joker stopped. Harley waited for him to finish, and when he didn't, she lowered her eyes.

"Then? Then what?" Quinzel asked.

"Then nothing. It's all gone," Joker's voice had a hint of amusement buried in it. "Their pupils expound and they take a final breath. The struggle for life slowly dissolves. Any light that was formerly in their eyes is gone. Now, Harley. Imagine it was at your hand. You were the one who held your very own hand stiffly at this persons neck. You took the life from them. Do you understand now?"

"No, I don't." Harley answered. Her chest felt strained.

"It's truly beautiful, Harley. Perhaps I'll show you one day. Usually I'd say I'll hold a mirror to your face as I take your life from you. Then you'd certainly see, right?" He cackled. "Yet, I feel a slight interest in you. I think I may keep you around."

"Flattering," Harley sighed. "I think we're done for the day. I'll be back to visit you tomorrow, Joker. I hope settling here won't be too hard."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Harley."


	2. Did you know?

"Crawford, nice article last week." A tall, thick man said, not bothering to look up from the current article he was reading. The man was laid back in his huge chair that showed he had authority over the people around him. The young girl smiled enthusiastically in response.

"Thank you, sir!" The greenhorn giggled. Her long, light orange hair bounced around her thighs. "I find the Riddler very fascinating, he-"

"Yes, I read the article. If you could get me another smacker like that one by the end of the week, I'll pay you double what you got for the last one." The man, obviously the young girls boss, kept his head buried in the article. Abigail Crawford nodded in response.

"I'll certainly try my best, sir. I'll see about going out tonight to find something to write about." Abigail smiled. She turned and walked out of the Gotham Gazette building and into the street. She had a great start in life with a job that was going great. It was her first article that had been published, and it was about none other than the Riddler. Abigail squealed internally at the thought of him. She had somewhat of an obsessive fascination with the criminal. Not only was he a killer, but he also managed to integrate his intelligence into what he did. Abigail was a firm believer in the quote knowledge is power, and the Riddler was proof at how very true that quote was.

"So you're a fangirl," A voice interrupted her thoughts. Abigail looked up to see her best friend, Apolena, approaching her. Her brown hair was tied into a pony tail, as usual. Two long, rebellious strands of hair had escaped the pony tail and were laying across her face. She must've just returned from her client interview. Apolena Trewly was a lawyer with a firm belief in justice, which Abigail couldn't respect her more for.

"What makes you say that?" Abigail asked, a puzzled look playing across her face.

"Oh, come on Abby. You wrote a whole article praising a murderer. You're a fangirl." Apolena giggled. "I personally think he's not all that great, but-"

Abby gawked. "Not all that great?! Lena, he gives people a reason to use their brains! There aren't enough smart people out there- Did you know that every year about 98% of your atoms are replaced?! No! That's because people don't use their brains anymore! It's rare to find a good, smart person like the Riddler. What he's doing is giving people a reason to try to be smart, even if it means ending a few lives."

"Abby, you know better than anyone else that murder is wrong. On any level." Apolena glowered at Abigail. Abby looked down at the ground. She couldn't find the nerve to look up at Lena again. She knew killing was supposed to be wrong, but she couldn't help but feel a radiating justice from this criminal, despite his crimes. "And also, no one memorizes the useless facts that you do."

Abigail sighed and impulsively pushed her hair behind her ears. Her green eyes seemed glazed over as she rethought her enchantment by the Riddler.

"Maybe the Riddler will do something tonight so you can stalk him," Apolena said enthusiastically. It was a nice change in pace, coming from the previous conversation.

"I hope so," Abigail smiled, her cheeks burning red at the thought. "I've been searching around and I heard that there was a planned heist at the Gotham City Bank. It's going to be so big that there's no doubt Batman will show up. I'm hoping to get a glimpse at him."

Apolena's eyes widened. "How did you hear that? Shouldn't you tell GCPD?"

"I know people. Homeless, most of them, but they all hear of something one way or another. I kind of made a vow not to tell the police. But hey! There's nothing to worry about if Batman shows up. He always makes sure nobody dies, right?"

"I guess," Apolena yawned. "I'd better go, I have to catch up on my case. Good luck on your article, and don't get yourself hurt, alright?"

"I can take care of myself, Lena," Abby scowled. "I may be short and fragile but that doesn't mean I can't put up a fight!" The red head thrust her arms upward in a fighting position and roared. Apolena giggled before waving at Abigail and turning to walk away.

"Bye, brat," Lena smiled, walking off.

"Wait! Wait! Lena!" Abigail shouted. Apolena turned to look back at her, still walking. "Did you know that a whale's penis is called a dork?!"

"You're in public, Abby!" Apolena shouted, still walking, and Abigail finally remembered they were out in broad daylight. She smiled up at the man who walked past her, giving her a dirty look, with a flustered face.


	3. The Robbery

It was late. The mission was to be carried out. Bystanders were crowding the Gotham City Bank without a care, unsuspecting of the crime that was to be committed in only seconds. A certain group of men were spread about the bank. They seemed like your average citizens, but there was a certain factor that set them apart from the others. They had different colored shirts, pants, shoes, they seemed to be different. Yet they all wore the same jacket. It was a pullover hoodie, some had different colors. The only connection between all of the hoodies were their sleeves, which every single one adorned a black penguin symbol.

Suddenly a shot rang out into the air. People screamed, children cried, it was hectic. Eyes searched for the source of the shot, only to find one of the penguin-sleeved men holding a gun aimed for the ceiling. Instantaneously one of the clerks pressed their silent alarm from under their desk, which the men with the penguins on their sleeves knew would happen, but it didn't stop them.

"Give us all of the money, now!" shouted one of the penguin-sleeved men to a helpless clerk. It was everything you'd expect from a bank robbery.

"Everybody on the floor! Get down!" shouted another penguin-sleeved man. Everybody in the room hit the floor spontaneously, there was no hesitation. Only one citizen seemed to stick out from the crowd. A redheaded girl in a trench coat, wearing a hat that blocked most of her face. She was the only one in the room who wasn't scared, cowering away from the men or crying. She simply laid on the floor like the rest of them, her notebook and pen in her hand, eagerly writing away.

"What are you doing, girl!?" a man shouted at her. He stampeded over to the redhead and knelt down to her, grabbing her violently by the arm and pulling her up to her feet.

"Writing, sir!" the girl shouted enthusiastically. "Is there a problem?"

"What're you writing?" he snatched the notebook from her and read aloud the words. " 'On the night of August 22, the Gotham City Bank was robbed. It was obvious who the robbery was ordered by, none other than Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin! His men all wore jackets with penguins on them…' This bitch is writing about what's goin' on now!"

The man, still with a grip on the girls arm, began to yank his arm back and hurl her back to the ground intensely. Only, the girl wasn't willing to take the pain. Retracting her arm with a strength greater than his, she ducked down and hurled her own leg through the air and kicked the man in the head, sending him to the ground. The strength the girl had was surprising. She was only a bit off of five feet tall, yet still managed to pummel a six foot man to the ground.

The other men in the room instantly turned on the girl with their guns, ready to shoot. Right at that moment, a black silhouette dropped down from the glass ceiling. Shattering glass landed about the bank haphazardly. The black silhouette landed directly on top of a henchman, who was knocked out on impact. The silhouette stood promptly, allowing for a better view of him. It was a man. A tall man, standing at six foot two inches, wearing nothing but black. Black skin-tight armor, resistant to most things. A long black cape with triangle ends, and a mask. The mask had pointed ears, and the only openings were at the mouth and holes for the eyes.

Gasps were heard from all over the room. "It's the Batman!" one citizen exclaimed. The redheaded girl smiled at the sight. She instantaneously reached back down for her notepad and pen and began writing yet again.

Bullets rang out, flying all towards the Batman. He grappled for the ceiling and disappeared. Chaos spread about the room yet again. Goons ran about trying to locate the Bat, nervously shooting at anything they might've hallucinated to be him. The girl still stood in the center of the room, energetically writing despite the bullets that were ringing out all around her.

One by one, the Batman dropped from the ceiling and took out another goon, only to disappear back somewhere in the ceiling.

"I've got the money, I'll get it out to Penguin! You guys take care of the Bat!" A goon shouted. He then ran for the door, leading outside, with a bag full of money. The Batman dropped in with vigorous speed, landing directly atop the man holding the bag. The bag was hurled across the room, and then anxiously caught by another goon who ran for the door. The goon who originally had the bag, now underneath the Batman, struggled to get up from under him. The Bat knelt down before the man and punched him repeatedly before he gave up and went unconscious.

The goon with the money bag ran for the door, barely managing to make it past the Batman and escaping. He'd have liked to chase after the man, but there were other armed men still in the room. He couldn't risk a single life being lost. The Batman grappled back to the ceiling yet again.

The girl decided to make some use of herself. She was none other than Abigail Crawford. Journalist, expert in the useless fact category, and professional hand-to-hand combatant. Dropping her notebook carelessly on the floor and turning about her, she noticed one of the henchmen who was frantically running about in search for the Batman. His gun was down, a big mistake on his part. Abigail fit in easily with the crowd of frantic people, now on their feet, running about. She walked for the gunman patiently. The Batman was dropping in on goon after goon behind her, but she kept walking for the one her mind was set on.

The goon hadn't noticed her yet. He was focused on the ceiling, which one was Batman's next victim? She snuck behind him as he ran, and began running behind him. She tried her best to match his pace and keep from straying into his line of sight. Once she decided it was the right moment, she slid onto the floor and straight into the henchman, knocking him on top of her and on his back. Groaning, the man reached for his gun. Abby kicked the gun from his belt and as far away as possible, grabbing at his arms and shoving him off of her and throwing herself on top of him.

"Well, isn't this a lovely sight," the henchman chuckled, licking his lips at the sight of the redhead atop of him. Abigail lowered her eyes at him.

"Well, at least the last thing you see before you end up in the hospital will be nice, right?" She said in an angered voice. She decided to take this last moment to study him. A scruffy, tattered man with a rough short dull brown beard. He actually wasn't that bad looking, in a troubled-older-man-who's-also-an-alcoholic kind of way. _It's a shame I have to bust his face in. But it's what he gets, pervert. _Abigail thought, just as she punched the man as hard as her muscles would allow her in the face.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" A deep, raspy voice called out from behind her. Abigail turned to see none other than the Batman standing behind her. She jumped to her feet in excitement.

"Of course not, sir! I'm perfectly fine. I can take care of myself. A girls gotta learn how to, here in Gotham," Abby giggled. She noted that all of the citizens seemed to have cleared out and that all that were left were the unconscious goons strewn about the floor.

"Get out. You'll be safer outside, the police are here," Batman said, unamused by her comment. He turned to walk away, taking out his grappling hook and holding his arm out for the ceiling.

"W-Wait! Batman!" Abby exclaimed. The Batman turned to face her one last time. "There's no way you're leaving me here. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!"

Abigail scurried for her notebook and pen before running back towards the Bat. He studied her before turning his back on her again. He spoke in a more firm, assertive voice this time. "Go."

He held his arm to the ceiling yet again and grappled the sides of the broken window. Before he could be sent flying, however, Abigail jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. The grapple was already in action, however, and they were sent flying into the night together.

"I told you I was coming with you."


	4. A Late Night in Gotham

Authors Note: Hello!~ Trying my best to upload these on a good enough basis as to not keep anybody waiting, even if not that many people are reading this! Aha! Well, just wanted to make a small reminder that you can leave a review if you want, in fact, _please _leave a review! I want to know what people think, if it's good or bad, any suggestions, anything really! It gives me motivation to keep writing! Anyway, to the story you go~

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><p>The moon shone down brightly on that dark night. Abigail Crawford was bravely hanging on to the neck of <em>the<em> Batman as he flew, or rather, soared, over Gotham City. Abigail could've sworn that it was only three in the afternoon when she had arrived at the bank, but already the cream orb was hanging in the sky in an almost beautiful manner. Abby couldn't help but balance her notebook on the Bat's back and write away, clinging to his shoulders.

He hadn't said anything as they flew. She didn't even have a single clue as to wear they were going. She purely jumped on due to impulse. Abigail could hear Apolena's assertive voice in the back of her mind reminding her to think things through, but slowly the thought faded away. She knew the Bat was a good man and surely wouldn't hurt her, and she also knew that she needed a good story by next week, and a simple bank robbery just wouldn't do. It was cliché and expected of her. She wanted to be unique. Stand out in the crowd. How else could she be a successful author if she didn't make sure her name was known _now_?

Abigail had zoned out. Lost in the halls of her mind she didn't notice that Batman had already landed on a rooftop and was standing in silence as she still clung to his back.

"Are you going to fly off without me if I let go?" Abigail asked, a smirk creeping onto her face. The Bat grunted. Abigail jumped off of his back and landed on the ground with a thud, still on her feet.

"Who are you?" The dark knight asked. Abby was amused by the interaction.

"Abigail Crawford, at your service, sir!" Abigail thrust her hand foreword. He left her hanging.

"You're the journalist," The Bat's eyes were already low, but he lowered them even more, as if that was possible.

"So you've heard of me." A prideful smirk crossed Abby's face.

"You're supporting the Riddler," Batman glared at her.

"Supporting? Sir, you misunderstand. The Riddler is a murderer, I do not support him," At least, not until she received a stern talking to from Apolena. "Murder is wrong no matter what. I simply am fascinated by him. He's intelligent, and that I can respect."

Batman's eyes seemed to ease. He still seemed... Scary, however. He towered over her like an overpowering shadow. Abigail was already short, but the Bat was taller than anyone she had ever met. He blended in with the night sky behind him, the only thing that made him stand out was the glow of the moon overhead. Batman nodded.

"Miss Crawford.. Go home," the Bat turned on her without warning and grappled a ledge far off. Abigail ran for him, but found herself face first on the stone roof of whatever building she happened to be on now. Upon looking behind her she saw a trip wire.

_Dammit... He tricked me. How did I even miss that?! ... Oh... Right.. We were talking about Riddler... Teehee._ Abigail thought to herself, now abandoned and alone on the rooftop. She glanced over just in time to see Batman soar off into the night. _Now… Where exactly am I?_

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><p>It was a late starry night in Gotham. Alyssa Gehring, an average-height blonde girl with frizzy, loose pigtails that hung down at the sides of her head rather than tight at the top, knew this, but didn't mind. Despite the many crimes that happened late in the city, she didn't seem to have the conscience to tell her it was dangerous. Her big, brown spheres were looking into a camera at that moment, a camera of high-grade and excellent quality, in her personal opinion. She was standing along the sidewalk at the Gotham Pioneers bridge, looking off into the water below. She snapped a picture at the moon hanging just above the water, a nice, glassy reflection displaying across the river. She backed her eye away from the camera to peer down at the photo she had produced. It was alright, to say the most.<p>

Alyssa yawned. She hadn't slept the night before and didn't plan on sleeping tonight. She needed to work harder, to capture the most _perfect_ shot imaginable. She didn't exactly know what it was, but it was her goal, and she couldn't rest until she reached it. She brushed her frizzed bangs out of her eyes and put her camera up to her eyes again, a pouty expression playing across her face.

A sigh escaped her mouth involuntarily and caused her to fall forward against the railing of the bridge. "Maybe I should sleep," Alyssa groaned.

The girl happened to look up at that moment. The moon had centered in the sky now and the surrounding skyscrapers suddenly seemed impossibly aligned as if they had moved from their place on the ground, all seemingly pointing towards the white orb. Just then, a black figure traced the sky. The figure seemed to have wings, the ends were pointed. Almost like bat wings. Alyssa gasped, fingers trembling as she struggled to grasp her camera and keep it still long enough just to capture a picture of the figure just as it crossed the moon. That was it. _Perfect_.


	5. Joker Interview 2

"Hello again, Harley," Joker's maniacal cackle rang out in the small room. It seemed to echo against the hard stone walls, which didn't play well for Harley's mind.

"Hello," Harley breathed out before sitting down. As she sat in her chair her pigtails bounced around her. Her blue orbs searched Joker for any sign of emotion, but only found pure insanity resonating from his eyes. "How are you?"

"Just delightful," Joker laughed again. "How about you, dear?"

"Fine. This isn't about me, though," Harley grew increasingly enthusiastic for that days interview. "I've asked this before, but you didn't answer. What was your childhood like?"

"Oh, Harley, can I ask you something? Can we be friends with each other? I want to tell you something, but only friend to friend." Joker made a pitiful face. It seemed much too realistic for the blonde to turn down.

"Of course, Joker," she responded. She could only hope she wasn't being played.

"I like you. I like you a lot. Are you sure you want to be friends with me?" Joker asked. His head was angled down, making his eyes seem bigger and moist as if he would break into tears if she said something wrong.

"I guess," Harley complied. She didn't see the true meaning behind his words.

"Great!" Joker cackled manically. "I have a new friend! A best friend at that! Yes, I like you _a lot _Harley!"

Harleen raised an eyebrow. She wished she could understand this man... She just.. _Needed _to know. Her need to understand criminals seemed to have become an obsession of hers. So much so that she had blackmailed just to get to where she was today, in Arkham Asylum. She was an intern and had no authority speaking to a criminal mastermind such as the Joker. Harley

knew that she couldn't tell Joker this, because he would either praise her for her skills or find it easier to take advantage of her, and neither were ideal.

"Joker, since we're friends, do you want to tell me now?" Harley questioned.

"Oh, I had a splendid childhood. It was all butterflies and rainbows then!" Joker exploded into laughter.

"What changed?"

"What... Changed?" Joker seemed generally confused by the question. "Nothing changed. I'm still living a great life, dear. Everything is as peaceful as it used to be!"

Laughter resonated in Harley's ears. It was as if there were tons of Jokers surrounding her, all laughing right into her ears in unison. She wondered how she could actually get some information out of him... And then it hit her.

Harley giggled along with the Joker, it was a small, high-pitched, feminine giggle. Joker stopped right in his tracks, suddenly his laughter was gone. Harley was briefly scared, had she done wrong? Just then, Joker's smile abruptly returned to his face.

"Oh, Harley! You laughed! You're the first!" Joker cackled, grasping his stomach tightly as he laughed. Harley figured she must've gotten somewhere, so she just kept laughing. And laughing. And laughing. Until the laughter became legitimate. She suddenly couldn't stop herself. Her ear buds felt as if they were exploding, her own laughter teamed up with the Joker's was overpowering. "You sure are a riot!"

Harley's face began to hurt as her smile wouldn't go away. Her chest felt compressed, it was hard to breathe, yet the laughter just kept coming.

"Harley, I didn't realize that my joke was that funny. Oh, you're the first person who's ever gotten my joke." Joker said through laughter. Quinzel couldn't help but feel a bond with this man. It was strange and appeared seemingly from nowhere. No, it wasn't romance, but _friendship_. She didn't have many friends in Gotham, and this criminal was the first person who she believed she could say she had a friendship with. She wondered if this was how true friends spoke to each other and interacted, if things like this happened regularly. She wasn't sure.

Harley finally sighed as the laughter died down. She couldn't help but notice that Joker was breathing heavily across from her, regaining his breath just as she was her own. Harley threw one arm onto the table and the other at a ninety-degree angle with her face, resting her head daintily on her arm. A smirk crossed her face, and she wasn't sure why it was there. "You're funny."

"Oh, believe me, I know." Joker smiled.

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><p>His fingers were flying on the keyboard rampantly. Edward Nigma was in a better mood than usual. He was an incredible person, he knew, and the city of Gotham was only beginning to see this. He couldn't help but speak aloud to himself the article he had only recently finished reading over.<p>

"The Riddler has stricken again. If you don't keep your wits about you, you're easily susceptible to dying if he chooses you as his next victim. This man is overly intelligent, unlike most criminals out there. His victims are always trapped one way or another, and if they are unable to answer his riddles, they always die. So far none have survived. A personal recommendation, study up, because this man is your reason to gain knowledge. Your life is at risk. Treat it more like a reason to benefit yourself, not like he's just another headache in Gotham. He's benefiting you, making you work to be even more intelligent than you already are," he didn't need to finish. He was plenty satisfied. "Abigail Crawford."

He knew who the girl was. Her hair was a fiery light orange and she was a newbie journalist. At least, that was all that stuck out to him. Nigma was aware of all of the citizens of Gotham, of course, so it was no big deal that he knew of her before-hand. He had originally skimmed over her name whenever it appeared, as she had a clear record. He was looking more so for the corruption of Gotham. He sighed, wondering how it was possible that a clean slate could praise him so highly, but then again.. Who _wouldn't_ praise him?

He shoved it to the back of his mind. What did it matter, anyway? He had business to tend to. He had serious dirt on too many people in Gotham to get lost in his thoughts now. A smirk rose on Edward's face as he pressed the enter button on his keyboard. He had just released solid proof that the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, Gillian Loeb, was accepting bribes from criminal bosses to not only look the other way when a crime was committed but also to use officers as protection for said crime bosses. Now _this_ was going to be an interesting night.


	6. Damned Dent

The redhead stood alone on a random street corner with absolutely no knowledge of where she was. She simply knew she was on Rankin Ave., a street she had never heard of in her life. Abigail sighed in relief when the familiar shiny pitch black car road alongside her. She happily opened the passenger side door and plopped herself down on the seat.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Apolena sighed from the drivers seat. She had bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in weeks, despite looking perfectly fine that morning. Her current case must've been killing her. Her boyfriend and common enemy when it came to the courtroom, Harvey Dent, the district attorney, had been convicted of murder. He had recently been attacked in the midst of a trial and had acid splashed onto his face, scarring the left side. He was in the hospital not long before suddenly disappearing seemingly from existence. Abby recalled thinking about writing a potential article on it, but after seeing how upset it all made Apolena, she changed her mind. When he finally reappeared, he was in cuffs and accused of murder.

All of the odds were stacked against him. Even Abigail was convinced that Dent had committed the murder, but not Apolena. She had insisted on being his lawyer, despite Dent himself telling her it was a lost cause. He had supposedly murdered three men, Alec Stuart and brothers Randall and William Myers. All men who were reportedly criticizing Dent for his anger issues. Found dead in an empty apartment, a coin lying on the ground, reminiscent of the famous coin used by none other than Dent himself to decide what to do. The fact that he had left it was unlikely, Apolena knew. Dent always had it with him, he'd never leave it behind. It was the only piece of evidence that she had that was beneficial to her, especially since he had his coin with him when he was found by the police.

The prosecution insisted that he had left the decoy coin and kept his own to make himself seem innocent. Apolena was at a loss. Harvey's fingerprints were all over the crime scene and the decoy coin. When she had asked Harvey what happened that day, he said he had been staying in the apartment and was getting ready for bed when everything went black. He claimed to have not seen the victims that night nor had he spoken to them at all over the span of a few months. Abigail wanted to ask what had went wrong that day, but decided it would be better just to help her forget.

"Well..." Abby recounted the whole night to Lena. The robbery, beating up criminals, and then riding off on the back of Batman. She made sure to describe it in full detail, almost as she would for an article.

"Abigail Miranda Crawford, you did _what_?" Apolena said in a maternal voice.

"Ew. Don't call me that," Abigail flinched at the sound of her middle name. Apolena's glare held, causing Abby to gulp. "I trusted Batman. He wouldn't have let something happen to me-"

"It's not a matter of what that _vigilante _would or wouldn't do, it's what you've put at risk. What if he failed? What if something went wrong? You can't risk your own life, Abigail!" Apolena shouted. Abigail hung her head in shame.

"I'm fine, Lena. I got enough to write an article. I have better submit it now before anybody else writes about the robbery-" Just then Abigail's phone rang out from her pocket. Apolena nodded at Abigail, the sign that it was alright for her to pick it up. Abigail hurriedly took her phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Abby, I have something you may want to look at," A squeaky voice spoke over the phone.

* * *

><p>Apolena's car flew across the street at an alarming race. First Abigail was alone on a rooftop, and now Alyssa's out at half an hour past midnight taking pictures. <em>What is wrong with my friends? <em>Apolena thought to herself, sighing. _I have enough going on right now… These girls need to learn how to take care of themselves._

Apolena looked over at Abigail briefly, only to see her writing away. As usual. She again focused on driving. Apolena couldn't help but wonder how Harvey was doing in jail. He hadn't deserved it. He was a great man. He did have small anger issues, but that aside he was great. His morals were align and he stood by them and put those away who went against them. He wouldn't go against his own morals, she just knew it…

"Lena, you're going to pass the bridge," Abigail's voice forced Apolena's thoughts to fade away just before passing the bridge. Lena slammed on her brakes and turned onto the Gotham Pioneer's bridge. Apolena managed to pull over on the bridge right alongside Alyssa, who was easy to find due to her blonde hair and bright neon green oversized sweater that stuck out.

Alyssa skipped to the back of the car and happily opened the back door, sliding into the seat. "Hello!" She said in a sing-song voice.

"What've you got for me?" Abby squealed like a child opening their Christmas presents. Alyssa handed her a photograph. It was a picture of the night sky and the river down below. The moon happened to be in the center of the picture, dark clouds swarming it. The thing that stood out the most to Abigail, however, was Batman. He was soaring through the sky right in the center of the moon. Abigail gasped and held the picture closer, to be sure. She recognized the straight mouth and the costume seemed completely alike. "When did you take this?"

"Just a few minutes ago. He just flew overhead, and I had to get a picture," Alyssa giggled. Alyssa Gehring was always a bubbly, cheery girl who dreamed of being a professional photographer. At the moment she was a waitress, but she _always _had a camera with her and was snapping pictures just about anywhere she went. Apolena was always envious of the girl, as she always seemed so free of stress, very unlike herself. She somehow managed to go days on end without sleep and was determined to reach her goal. It was admirable.

"Would you mind if I used this?" Abigail asked, still absorbed by the photo. "For an article."

"Of course!" Alyssa said cheerily, her face flushing. "I could use the publicity!"

"I'll be sure to credit you," Abigail smiled. Apolena watched the interaction, yawning.

"Can I go home now? I kind of need to sleep," Apolena grunted. The two other girls looked up, almost as if just noticing her.

Abigail shrugged. "Can we stop at Gotham Gazette? I need to get this article in."

* * *

><p>"Master Bruce," an older man with a fancy black suit spoke up upon seeing the Batman return to his cave. He coughed as if to catch his attention. "Are we done for the night?"<p>

"Somewhat," Batman answered. "I met that journalist today…"

"Which journalist, sir?" Alfred Pennyworth, butler of Bruce Wayne, asked. Bruce Wayne, the Batman. Every night he would put on that mask and cape and patrol the city, stopping any crimes and making sure that not a single life was lost. Well, at least if he could help it.

"Abigail Crawford."

"The Riddler supporter?" Alfred gasped. "How did you meet her?"

"She was at the bank robbery. She knocked out a few of the thugs there and then jumped on my back when I left. I left her on a roof," Bruce responded. "She claimed that she didn't support him. That she just respected him, and that murder was wrong on any level."

Alfred grunted. "Sounds like bull honkey to me."

"I don't think so… I'm going to bring up her profile on the Bat Computer."


	7. Crime Rises

**Author's Note: **I'd like to formally apologize for my absence! I was forced to go a week without internet, and let me tell you it was _not _fun. Anyway, the next two chapters are prewritten and I'm going to upload them all here and now, so be prepared! A'ight, sorry for the wait. Here's Ch. 7.

* * *

><p>"Loeb, we have a problem," a raspy voice spoke out above the sound of officers rapidly grabbing for their gear and running about. A short, stubby man, Gillian B. Loeb, turned from the group of men to find his star pupil, Harvey Bullock, looking down at him with an obviously distressed expression. "Somethin' got out."<p>

* * *

><p>"Do you want to explain to me how this happened?" Loeb shouted angrily at the officers crouched down over computers beside him. The stone floor seemed colder than usual, but it may have just been his anger.<p>

"We dunno, it just-" Bullock started, quickly interrupted by the sound of maniacle laughter as all of the GCPD computers crashed spontaneously and every screen showed the same thing. In big, bold letters, the words "Riddle me this," appeared.

"What's this?" Loeb grew angrier at the dazed faces of the officers around him. "What the hell is going on here?!"

Bullock gaped at the sight, but quickly regained his composure and began to bark orders at the officers around him. He sighed before turning back on Loeb, bracing himself for a night of nagging. "There's only one person who could'a done this," Bullock gulped. "The Riddler."

"Commissioner!" Shouted another raspy voice. "The doors, they're all locked! Someone hacked the wireless locks-We can't get 'em open!"

* * *

><p>The dark knight stomped into the Bat cave without hesitation. Every news station in Gotham was blowing up. Batman knew who was behind it, there was only one possible culprit. He just needed to know where he was. Batman walked to the television, located directly next to the gigantic and technologically advanced Bat computer on a table. Alfred followed close behind.<p>

"Master Bruce, how do you plan on locating him? We've come to see he excels in covering his tracks," Alfred trailed off.

"I can find him. He's probably hired some men to get data on the cops, and they're usually lowlives. If I can find them, I can find Nigma."

Edward Nigma, better known as the Riddler, had released evidence against the GCPD, specifically Commissioner Loeb, and Bruce knew it. Of course, everything must've been true, but it wouldn't help the city's current situation. The crime rate was increasing in Gotham and if citizens couldn't rely on the GCPD, who could they rely on? As corrupt as they were, the city needed them. Without the GCPD, Gotham's citizens would go mad and cause even more criminals to rise up, only worsening the city's state. It was going to be a lot for the man to handle. Nigma needed to be shut down.

Just then the Bat cave's television cut off and a new image appeared. On the television a short, slightly overweight man stood wearing expensive attire, suit and top hat, smirking devilishly.

"Hello, citizens of Gotham! 'Tis I, Oswald Cobblepot! Or as I'm sure you know me, the Penguin," Cobblepot chuckled, his black hair gelled back. "I'll have you know that I have _multiple _hostages in my possession. For their freedom, I require the Bat's presence. You have until midnight to arrive, or I'll have them all killed."

Cobblepot threw his head back in laughter, holding up his hand and motioning for someone off-screen to come forward. "Oh, and just to show you how serious I am..." A blonde girl with messy hair and loose pigtails was suddenly thrown next to the Penguin. Her face was red, she had been crying. Her blue eyes were stained with red from her tears. Another person moved up behind her, holding a knife.

"N-no! No! No no please!" The girl cried out. There was a certain feeling of innocence radiating from her. Cobblepot's smirk grew wider as the person behind the girl's arm reached out and drug the knife across her face, causing her to bleed out. The girl screamed in pain. The knife took a path all the way from the upper left side of her head and down her cheek. Bruce growled with anger at the sight.

"I'm sure you know where I am, Batman. Come on, then," Cobblepot again burst into laughter as the screen cut back to a very horrified looking news reporter. Bruce scowled, slamming his fist against the table, causing the whole room to shake.

"Sir.. Don't you think you require some assistance?" Alfred said in a concerned tone. "Surely this is too much, even for you."

"No one's going to help me, Alfred. I'll figure it out. Nigma will have to wait, those hostages need me now more than GCPD."

* * *

><p>Great. Just great. <em>Of course.<em> The one time Edward finally had his plan set, and that.. That _rat _the Penguin had ruined it. Edward didn't have hostages. He was a minor problem. _Again. _The Bat would focus on Oswald and maybe even forget about Edward. He was ruining all of the fun.

Edward kicked his legs back in his rolly chair and spun around, flinging his arms back in defeat. _I will not be forgotten, Batman. _He thought to himself. _I just need to be more threatening..._

* * *

><p>Abigail skipped towards her bosses office. Another submitted article. This was going to be great. Her stomach felt bubbly, it was a pure happiness that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was blissful. Her feet stopped just a few feet short of the office door, halted by a loud ringing sound resounding from her pockets. Reaching in for her cell, she promptly put the phone to her ear.<p>

"Hello," her voice came across smooth and calm. Just as she felt.

"Abby," Apolena choked over the phone. She had been crying.

"L-Lena, are you alright?" Abby blushed at the sudden attention that was on her in the hallway, tiptoeing to the side of the hall.

"Are you watching the news? It's... It's Alyssa."

"Lena.. I'm at work. I don't understand, what's wrong?" Abigail looked about her before making her way towards the lounge. There was a TV there, she remembered.

"That.. Criminal, Cobblepot.." Lena was choking on her words, barely audible.

"The Penguin?" Abby cut through, practically running into the lounge. As she ran in, she felt her heart stop beating. The phone fell from her hand as her mouth fell open and she stopped just to see the TV presenting Alyssa, her best friend, with a face full of tears, blood pouring from a cut on the left side of her face. Abby could hear Apolena making choking noises from the phone, still on the floor, but her focus was off. She felt her eyes sting as she noticed Oswald Cobblepot on the side of the screen, finally speak up with a chuckle.

"I'm sure you know where I am, Batman. Come on, then," Cobblepot burst into laughter as the screen cut away and Alyssa was gone.

Abigail slowly shifted from near tears to anger. She blinked away the tears and reached for her phone with a growl. "I'm going to get Alyssa."

Abby shoved her phone back into her pocket and ran for the exit, ignoring it when her phone rang again.


	8. Harvey Dent and His Coin

Apolena stampeded into the visiting center of GCPD. She needed to forget. Alyssa was in a life or death situation and Abigail had made plans to join her. Apolena pressed her fingers to her eyes to force the tears away and made a silent prayer that both of her friends made it out alive, but she needed to forget. She sighed upon seeing the familiar guards, the guards she saw every day since the homicide, and therefore knew exactly where she was headed. After flashing her ID to the group of guards, one of which followed after her, she walked straight for Harvey's private cell. Despite being gone for over a month, he was still moderately wealthy, or at least enough to get himself into a fancy cell that suited him.

Upon reaching the cell, Apolena tapped her foot noisily on the stone floor until the guard unlocked the cell and thrust the door open, allowing her to enter. As Apolena entered the cell she waved at the guard and swiftly laid her eyes upon her boyfriend, Harvey Dent. He laid in his little cot which barely fit his stalky figure, his eyes were closed but she knew he was awake. She couldn't help but notice the left side of his face. Scarred. Burnt. Fleshy. She wished it didn't change the way she looked at him, but she knew that it did. Every time she saw him it came as a surprise. She felt her eyes widen.

"Hey, babe," Harvey grunted before forcing himself into a sitting position to face her, his eyes widening when he saw her reddened face and eyes. He could tell that something must've gone wrong. _Did I get the death penalty? _As unlikely as it was, it was the only thing that came to mind. "What happened?"

Apolena shook her head. "It's nothing. We need to discuss-"

"Lena," Harvey's voice stopped her cold. She felt her heart stop beating. She didn't _want _to rethink the events that might get her friends killed, she wanted to get the man she loved out of jail. She needed him. She didn't know what she would do, should she lose the case. She couldn't just stay faithful, he was looking at the life penalty. She didn't want to think about finding another love or anything like that. She had love right in front of her, why should she have to lose it?

"I really don't want to talk about it, I promise things are fine," Apolena eyed Harvey pleadingly until he seemed to push off of the subject.

"What are we here to talk about, darling?" Harvey sat back in his cot, arms raised above his head, using his hands to cradle his head. Apolena promptly looked at the table and chair before her and sat down.

"Harvs, you have to tell me what _really _happened. If someone is framing you I have to know who. Your fingerprints are all over the scene and the evidence, no one else's. I know some criminal didn't go through the trouble of putting your prints on everything, you aren't telling me something," Apolena stared Harvey down. Lawyer's eyes, or at least, that's what people called them. She studied Harvey's features. She knew that he wouldn't react like most of her clients would have, as he himself was a lawyer. He simply sighed and looked away.

"You should know if I don't tell you of all people something it's for a _very _good reason," Harvey said, unflinching.

"Harvey," Apolena gulped. She felt the tension rising, a rock forming in her throat. "Did you-"

"No, babe," Harvey interrupted, again meeting eyes with her. "I didn't murder them."

"Then what? What aren't you telling me?" Apolena shouted, a bit louder than she meant to, standing to her feet and placing her hands firmly on the table. Harvey didn't move. "If you want to get out of this place and be proved innocent then you _have _to tell me Harvey. _Please._ I'm not just doing this for you, Harvs, I'm doing this for myself too. If you love me you have to tell me the truth here and now."

"It's not that simple, Lena," Harvey glowered.

"Just stop, Harvey. You're treating me like a child!" Lena shouted. "You need to tell me. Did you have an affair? Did you have sex with a few prostitutes or something? Harvey, _I don't even know why you left!_ You disappeared for over a month and now that you're finally back you won't even let me help you! If you don't love me Harvey, just say it!"

Lena gasped. She hadn't expected to say that much. She hadn't even thought about half of it, it just came out. Came out as if she had been suspicious for years, yet none of it ever came to mind until this very moment. Harvey's unwavering eyes never left her own, she waited impatiently for a response.

"Lena, it's not that I don't want to tell you," Harvey started. "I just don't know if I should, my coin-"

"God dammit Harvey!" Lena shouted. The tears were coming now. "You need that damn coin just to talk to me? You're your own man, you can do whatever you want to do! I'm not going to deal with this Harvey, I'm leaving. I obviously can't be your lawyer if you can't talk to me. You can find a new lawyer, just have them call me and I'll transfer over everything I have. I wish you luck."

Apolena turned on her heel and shoved the chair out of her way before opening the cell door, ready to bounce, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Lena," she heard Harvey's voice call out from behind her. She stopped and turned to look back at him. Half of her hoped he would break down, tell her everything. Give up his obsession with his coin just to be with her. She knew he'd never do that, though. His burnt up side had eaten him away, she decided. She could barely remember the time when he _didn't_ need that coin. Those were the days when the Harvey she loved was there. She had only just realized that that Harvey was gone, this one was different. "I asked the coin before telling you I loved you."

* * *

><p>Bruce stood on a skyscraper just a few blocks from the Iceberg Lounge. It was the only place he could think of that the Penguin would hole himself up in with hostages. He was taking advantage of the Riddler's lockup on the cops, Bruce knew. Looking down at the Iceberg Lounge, he could see multiple guards surrounding it.<p>

Bruce looked up at the building across the way, on the other side of the Iceberg, before gliding down to the rooftop. The back entrance only seemed to have two guards. They were armed, but easy to take on nevertheless. The guards were both on either side of the back door, guns at their chests. Batman dropped down from his perch, landing between the two and knocking their heads together before they were able to react. Both dropped to the ground unconscious. _Too easy _Bruce thought to himself. _Cobblepot's making this easy. He doesn't want me to get hurt on the spot._

Bruce opened the door promptly and stepped inside. He was welcomed to a small storage room with cardboard boxes stacked to the ceiling on each side of the room. The dark knight soon found himself walking through a maze of different rooms. He couldn't help but notice the cold temperature the building was kept in. Even more, _he didn't run into anymore guards. _Cobblepot was making this way too easy. He must've had a surprise in store. There was no other explanation for why he only had to defeat two guards to have unlimited entry to the Iceberg.

Then he found it. He _hadn't _been given unlimited entry. Upon entering a gigantic room, the ceiling reaching what seemed like thirty feet high, he found a pile of knocked out guards. There seemed to be at least twenty, all piled up on top of each other. _Someone got here before him. _Who, he didn't know. He took a moment to assess the damage done. Whoever did this didn't intend to kill anyone, like him, they simply knocked them out and kept moving. Batman reached to his ear and pressed down on the ear piece.

"Alfred, someone got here before me. All of the guards are unconscious."

"Another vigilante?" Alfred gasped. "Master Bruce, perhaps this is the help you _need._"

"I don't need help," Bruce growled. "I'm fine on my own. Cobblepot isn't going to be happy when whoever did this shows up and it's not me."

Bruce turned the earpiece off before continuing on towards Cobblepot's office in the center of the Iceberg. Whoever it had been who knocked out those guards had to of been there by now.


	9. Being Bold

"Who're you, girlie?" Oswald Cobblepot's voice rang out through a microphone. His face shown on a screen in the large, cold room she was in. Next to the screen she saw a glass window. Alyssa was in there. Along with Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, and however many other guards and hostages were there.

"None of your bees wax," Abigail snorted. "Did you know that term-" She began to state a fact, then she remembered the man didn't deserve the power of knowledge. He kidnapped her best friend, a girl who was a sister to her. "You have my friend."

"Oh! A heroic one are you?" Cobblepot burst into laughter. Suddenly all joy bled out from his face, and all that was left was a cold glare. "You should save the heroic stuff for the Batman, miss. We wouldn't want you getting hurt, now would we?"

"Let the hostages go and I'll leave. Then no one has to get hurt," Abigail smiled cheerfully. If he wanted to play that game, she'd play right along with him.

Cobblepot threw his head back in laughter. Suddenly all emotion drained away again and he shot another glare at Abigail. "Guards, take care of this girl for me. The Bat is taking too long. I think she'll make a _great _first victim to die tonight."

Just then huge, muscular men piled around her until she was completely surrounded. There must've been at least fifty, all encasing her. Abigail shot one final look in Alyssa's direction. A look of recognition was playing across her face. She seemed to be shaking her head wildly. Abby sighed. There was nothing she could do now, even if she wanted to stop. Then something caught her eye. A camera. In the window. _Pointed at her._ He was recording her. Broadcasting her live for everyone in Gotham to see.

Abigail giggled to herself. It was stupid, but she had the urge... "Hi mom!" Abigail exclaimed, before jumping upward and kicking two men in the face instantaneously. If she was going to go down tonight, she'd go down trying to save her friend, no, her _sister_, and being happy and cheerful. She decided that nothing would wipe this smile off of her face. No matter how much pain she went through. Nothing would keep her from dying happy. _Nothing._

Men swarmed her. She kicked her legs as fast as she could and punched any face that even dared near her. She was on a roll. Men were dropping on impact. The crowd around her seemed to quickly lessen. She ducked under a punch and thrust her leg around, knocking another man down. All but a few of the men were on the ground, meaning there were only a few men left to take down. "Come on, guys!" She cheered. "Are you even trying?"

Just then, she heard Cobblepot's voice ring out over the microphone. "Is that too easy for you, miss? Well I _did _have some extra guards I was saving for the Bat, but well, I suppose they could kill some time with you." Just then, a giant steel door on the other end of the room opened up and out came men. Big men. _Huge _men. They were hulk sized, gigantic. They were so buff they almost seemed to be on steroids. Abigail forced herself to breathe. _They're big, _she thought to herself. _That usually means they're slow. I'm small. I have speed._

Backing away, she suddenly found herself on her back, lying on the floor when a smaller man tripped her. Abigail squealed anxiously. Her smile went away. No, this wasn't supposed to happen. The man who tripped her jumped on top of her with a big, evil grin. She breathed out heavily. _I did this, I can fix it._ She kicked him off of her with ease, forcing herself to her feet. The bigger men were marching toward her, shaking the floor like an earthquake.

Abigail turned her head left in right in search of an escape. There's got to be something..

That's when she saw it. A shiny, metal vent, out in the open. No men near enough to it to stop her. Abigail flashed a quick smirk at the gigantic men before jumping over the closest man to her and landing on his head, grasping his bald head and yanking on it back and forth. How she ever expected to knock this man out, not even she knew. The other men all charged for her, to which she flipped off of the mans head and ran straight for the vent. She heard commotion behind her in which the men were all clashing, especially the man who's head she had invaded, who was waving his arms about aimlessly and hurting the others in his dizziness.

The vent didn't have a cover. She dropped to the floor and slid in it with ease. "Running away, are we?" Abigail could practically feel the frown on Cobblepot's face. Abby got on her hands and knees and crawled through the vent, hoping to find a close exit. She turned the nearest corner she found only to be met with an opening to a room she hadn't seen before. She checked to be sure there weren't any possible enemies before crawling out of the vent and rising to her feet.

Looking about herself she was in an office. She eyed the room for a door and, when she saw it, she cracked it open and peaked out. "Yes," she whispered to herself in relief. She saw it. The elevator. The elevator that led straight up to Cobblepot's office, where all the hostages and Cobblepot himself were. The only problem, two of the big guys had already made their way to the elevator and were standing guard beside it.

Abigail looked about herself. What could she do? Then she had an idea. Turning to the office desk she grabbed the first thing she saw, a stapler. She then turned on her heels and flung it as hard as she could into the hall and in the opposite direction of the goons. The men stumbled in confusion before running off toward the stapler to investigate.

_Idiots. _Abby thought to her self as she stealthily made her way to the elevator, pressing the up button and then ducking behind a conveniently placed box until the door opened. She stayed out, studying the men who were now investigating the different rooms the hall had to offer. They hadn't even noticed the blinking light behind her that indicated the elevators soon arrival. Contemplating how grown men could possibly be so stupid, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. A vent on the ceiling. A sliver of black coming from inside the vent that quickly darted away before she could study it. _Could it be? _She thought to herself.

Just then the elevator doors opened, and right on time a burst of smoke exploded around the men. _A smoke bomb? It has to be.. He's here. _Abigail turned on her heels and darted for the elevator as quickly as her legs would allow her to. Once she had made it into the elevator, she turned just in time to see a tall man dressed in a skin-tight black armored suit dart into the elevator behind her. Who else could it be?

"Hello, Batsy," Abigail stared up at the Batman. She couldn't help but notice his blue eyes studying her from through the mask. _Blue eyes? That narrows it down to a few billion people. _

"What are you doing here, Crawford? It's not safe," the Bat growled at her just as the elevator doors closed behind them. Abigail felt a pang of annoyance strike her.

"My friend is up there," Abigail growled back, dropping eye contact to turn to the side and squeeze her hands together furiously. "I wasn't going to just let Cobblepot think he can get away with hurting innocent people. Everyone is loved by someone, and trying to take that away.." Abigail trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind."

Abigail peered back up at the dark knight and she was sure that if she had ripped the mask off of his face now she would see a raised eyebrow as he looked down at her. The Bat, although Abby was unaware of it, was beginning to see a light in her. It was possibly the same light he had in himself when he was a young child, before he took on the challenge as the dark knight, the Batman. Memories struggled to crawl into his brain but he quickly pushed them back down. "I can handle this from here. I'll save your friend. Go home."

"No!" Abby shouted, turning on Batman quickly. "I'm not leaving. Not until I see her walk out of here safely with my own eyes. Not until every last one of those innocent people are safely out of that douche-bag Cobblepot's hands!"

Abigail jumped back in surprise at her own words. She quickly regained her composure and breathed out deeply before muttering a small, "Sorry, I snapped," and then turning away once more.

The elevator ride seemed longer than it should have. For what felt like hours the elevator ride was silent. Abigail couldn't stand it. She ached to say something, but she didn't know what would be appropriate. Not after that out burst... "Those were Bane's men," the Bat spoke aloud, breaking the silence like glass.

"What?" Abigail asked, suddenly recalling the overly huge men that she was meant to take on. It suddenly made sense. Men like that must've been on Venom, Bane's secret weapon that turned him into a super villain whenever he put himself on it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Why would Bane have his men help the Penguin?"

"I don't know yet," Batman grunted. "I'll be finding out, though."

Abigail imagined the beating Cobblepot was more than likely going to receive in order for Batman to obtain such information. She smirked deviously at the thought. _He'll deserve it too. _Just then the elevator doors opened and Abigail was greeted with a fist tightly clutching her throat. One of Bane's men had been standing at the door in wait, and now Abigail was being flung around like a yo-yo as the man reached for the Bat. Abigail grasped at her throat, barely able to watch, let alone comprehend what was happening as Batman slid underneath the man and popped up behind him, causing the man to spin and turn. Abigail felt like puking. _If only I could, _Abigail mustered a thought. _It'd be a lot better than suffocating..._

The Bat ran around the man, easily disoriented, until the opportunity presented itself to jump on the mans head. _Where's the Venom source? _Batman thought to himself as he crouched on the mans head, struggling to stay put as he was being swatted at like a fly. The Bat awkwardly dug down the back of the mans shirt in search of the Venom when, luckily, he caught hold of a thick tube underneath the mans shirt. Yanking back, he yanked the tube out from the man and sent the green Venom flying around them.

The man unrealistically stumbled about as his muscles seemed to grow smaller. Batman used this opportunity to tackle the man down with all his might. His grip on Abigail slipped, sending Abby soaring across the room and smacked her straight into a wall, and some other object that she couldn't quite identify as her vision was blurred. The Bat pounded against the mans head until he, finally, lost consciousness. The Bat stood up and dusted himself off, finally managing to take notice of the room as he approached Abigail. It was a small lobby-like room. Couches lined the walls along with a small (now broken) coffee table. Abigail was perched on the debris of said coffee table, groaning in pain as she rubbed her head.

The Bat didn't bother to say anything. His mind was on the door just beside her, the door to Cobblepot's office. He simply reached his hand out to her, palms up, and when she took his hand he pulled her upwards in a new found respect for each other. The Bat had watched her battle the men before, and he saw a great amount of potential in her. Her strategy was a bit scattered and she was a bit _bold_, sure, but she was stealthy and efficient. Abigail blinked her eyes before looking up at the Bat with a small smile on her face. She muttered a small thank you before taking her hand back and, as if she had fully recovered within that one second, darted for the doors and flinging herself into the office. _Bold, yeah._ The Bat thought to himself before darting after her.


	10. The Penguin and Bane

Oswald Cobblepot's office was chilly, as it always was. It never seemed to bother Oswald himself, but his many goons and assistants seemed to feel otherwise. Oswald sighed, sitting in his desk chair, waiting as he listened to the crashing and banging going on in the other room. The Bat had to've been in there. There was simply no other possibility. The girl certainly wouldn't have made that much noise in there with one of Bane's men, armed with Venom. She would've either found a vent and escaped or died instantaneously. Predictable. The Bat, however, he was strong enough to take these men on. Sure they were a struggle, but nevertheless he could do it.

"You're sure you don't want us to go help 'em, Cobblepot?" One of Bane's more annoying goons questioned. "He's our brother. Brothers help brothers."

Oswald spun in his chair to face the man, a cold glare on his face. "_I _am your brother now. Bane told you to help me. You are helping your brother by helping me, and I need you to stay here. The Bat will be joining us soon. Once he's gone your free to do whatever you wish, but I need you here, _now._"

The man didn't respond, he simply nodded and again paced the tied hostages around them. Oswald turned back towards the door in his chair, pressing his fingers together in anticipation. He couldn't help but notice the clatter had died down... "Looks like the Bat is coming now, boys," Oswald threw his head back in laughter before waving Bane's goons to the door, where they patiently stood awaiting the moment the Batman broke it down looking to fight.

They didn't get what they expected.

Instead of the tall, Dark Knight, they received a tiny red-headed girl, Abigail Crawford, who flung the doors open without a care and ran in, straight into one of the goons.

"Crawford!" Oswald heard the familiar, raspy voice of the Batman, who soon stormed in behind the girl.

"Oh, so pleased you could join us, Batman," Oswald laughed delightfully. Abigail leapt on top of the goon she had run into, whom stumbled back on impact and flailed his arms wildly enough to knock the other two behind him down. _Oh, you slow, dumb idiots. _Oswald thought with a sigh. _They truly were useless. _

The Bat, seeing that Abby seemed to have the situation with Bane's goons covered, quickly approached the Penguin, who simply sat at his desk and took out a cigar, lighting it and sticking it into his mouth. He sighed, "Well, I was hoping to have more time, but it seems that girl is being a bit too beneficial for you, eh?" Oswald eyed the red head as she held on to the goons head, forcing him to lean into one of the other goons, whom had gotten up, tripping him once more.

"Release your hostages," the Bat growled impatiently.

"Fine," Oswald smirked, waving his hand in the air. "Release them." Just then, a woman walked out from the room behind Cobblepot's desk and approached the hostages, quickly unlocking each ones handcuffs. _Something isn't right here.._

"Wait, where's the blonde?" The Bat asked, scanning the crowd of hostages, not spotting the girl who had appeared on the television. _These aren't all of the hostages._

"Blonde? There's a few blondes there, what a'ya talking about, Bat?" Oswald smirked at the Bat promptly.

"The one with the pigtails. On TV," Batman scowled.

"Oh! _That _blonde!" Oswald cackled. "I sold 'er and a few of the others to Bane! You know, for his assistance." Cobblepot motioned towards the goons, which were still struggling to take on Abby.

Abigail quickly followed the Bat's example from the ten minutes ago in which he had saved her life, knowing she had to cut off the goons' access to the Venom. She felt down the back of the muscular mans shirt, an experience she'd rather not have, and yanked back on the tube that was feeding him Venom, spraying green all around. The mans muscles almost seemed to shrink as he fell to the ground.

"Where's Bane?" The Bat glared at Oswald.

"Hell if I know!" Laughed the Penguin. "He could be out a'the city for all I know!" Batman grew impatient. He grabbed the Penguin by his throat and lifted him up high, staring him down.

"He wouldn't leave his men too far behind. Where is he?"

Oswald sighed. "World's greatest detective.. I assure you, I dunno where he took off to."

The Bat dropped Cobblepot back into his chair, turning to see Abigail at his side, dusting off her pants. When he turned around, he saw the three goons all collapsed onto the floor. Abby studied the crowd of hostages, eyes watering. "Alyssa's not here," Abby sniffled, before turning on Cobblepot. "Where is she?"

"Alyssa? Who's that?" Cobblepot smiled. "I dunno any names, miss."

"The girl!" Abigail shouted, quickly recovering her calm tone. "Blonde, pig-tails.."

"Oi, you're after the TV star, ey?" Cobblepot laughed.

"He sold her to Bane," The Bat sighed, turning to the goons collapsed behind him. He knelt over one in particular and checked the mans pockets.

"What?!" Abigail shouted, turning to the Bat. "What would Bane want with her?!"

The Penguin laughed. "There's the kicker, 'e wouldn't even tell me! When he offered, there was no turning that down, though."

Abigail turned on Oswald and punched him in the face, growling. "Shut up!" Cobblepot simply took it, knowing the Bat would break every bone in his body if he retaliated. Realizing what she had done, Abby placed her arms back behind her back.

As she turned back to the Bat, he was now standing upward, stuffing something into his belt. Batman turned to the Penguin and promptly took out a rope and tied him. "Soon as I get GCPD unlocked, you'll be seeing Gordon."

Throwing Abby a few ropes of her own, the two spent the remainder of their time tying up any of the Penguins assistants or goons they could find. The only goons of Bane's that were still in the Iceberg were all knocked out, the others seemed to have left. Abby then turned her attention to helping a few hostages find their way out. As she exited the Lounge, she found herself before Batman, who was staring her down. "Are you coming?"

"Really?" Abby's eyes lit up, a smile brightening her face.

The Bat shrugged. "You're not going to leave me alone, you fight decent, and you have a friend to find. I might as well make some use of you."

Abigail nodded wildly. "Wow, um, okay!" She didn't know where he planned on taking her or what he meant, but she decided to tag along anyway. She was more than positive that she could trust him. The Bat turned around as she hopped onto his back, wrapping her arms around him as he grappled for a building high above them and they soared through Gotham.

* * *

><p>"Alfred, I'm back," Batman announced as he walked into the Bat cave, Abby close behind. She stayed close to the Bat, still unsure of what was happening or where they were. They were in a cave, that much she was sure of. Technology lined the walls. Technology that she wanted to figure out what it did. Computers, televisions, she didn't know what she'd do if he let her roam the place.<p>

"Master Bruce," spoke a voice, just as an old man in a black suit came into view. "Welcome home-" Then he saw Abby. He gasped, "Is that?"

Batman nodded. _Bruce.. Bruce as in.. Bruce Wayne? _"Bruce Wayne.. Is that you?" Abby asked, gaping at the Bat. He sighed before nodding.

"She's showing up everywhere I go and she can fight. You said I needed help, so-"

"Oh, Master Bruce! I'm so glad you took my advice, although I didn't have her in mind when I gave it," Alfred smiled embarrassingly as Abby eyed him.

"I don't mean to be any trouble, if that's what you mean," Abigail tilted her head, confused.

"This time it wasn't to be in the middle of a crime, Alfred," Bruce intervened. "It was to save a friend of hers. A friend of hers we didn't find."

Slowly, Bruce explained the incident at Iceberg Lounge to Alfred. Abigail used the time to think. _Bruce Wayne.. How didn't I figure this out before?! It's obvious.. With all his tools, he had to be rich to afford it all. _Abigail sighed at her own incompetence, shaking her head.

"Well, Miss Crawford, it seems you'll truly be a great asset for Master Bruce," Alfred nodded. "May I bring us some tea?"

"Um, please?" Abby squeaked. "I haven't eaten at all today..."

"Oh my!" Alfred raised his eyebrows, gasping. "Allow me to make you dinner, then, Miss Crawford!"

"That won't be necessary, Alfred," Bruce shook his head. "I'll take her to the diner down the street to eat. We have to discuss what we'll do from here on out, anyway."

Alfred seemed annoyed, but nodded along. "Alright, Master Bruce."

_Discuss what? _Abby wondered as she was lead out of the Bat Cave and into the beautiful, ornate Wayne Manor to wait for Bruce to change out of his bat suit.


	11. Diner Mayhem

Abby leaned across the diner's booth table and towards Bruce with a cheeky smile. It was nice to see the person underneath the mask, and to know she was now acquaintances with a wealthy person. She studied his cream skin and dark hair, taking it all in. "Wow, I just can't believe I never considered it being you."

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked, taking a sip out of his cup of coffee that had just been brought to him by the waitress.

"Well, you being the playboy billionaire and all," Bruce rolled his eyes at the sound of his popular nickname rolling off of Abby's tongue. "I just didn't think you were capable of being.. Well, you know."

Abby giggled before leaning back in the booth and taking a sip of her own Coca Cola. "What is it we had to discuss, anyway?" Abigail asked the question that had been burned into her head the whole ride to the tiny diner.

"Well, if you wanted to be partners. Fight alongside me," Bruce said, straight out. She appreciated that he wasn't being too subtle, even if to conceal his identity as the Batman. "I could train you, help you find your friend-"

"Abby?" A familiar voice spoke out from behind Abigail. Abby turned to find her friend, Apolena Trewly, standing before her. Her eyes were stained red, as if she had been crying not too long ago. Abigail didn't want to question it in front of Bruce, and instead gave Apolena a questioning gaze.

"Apolena? What are you doing here?"

"I was walking by when I saw you in here.. I saw you on TV, are you alright?" A million questions were burning in Apolena's mind. Where was Alyssa? Why was she sitting with Bruce Wayne, playboy billionaire? Instead, she stuck to the one.

"I'm fine, Lena! Everything's fine. Alyssa's fine. I'll tell you about it later, but for now," Abigail scooted over in there booth and patted the space next to her, shoving her lie about Alyssa to the back of her mind. "You should meet my friend, Brucie!"

Bruce scowled at his new nickname as Lena slid into the booth promptly. Bruce stuck out his hand, and Lena met his in a handshake. "Bruce Wayne," Bruce spoke, a friendly smile playing across his face. He couldn't help but notice Apolena's wide brown eyes staring back at his. _Damn, _Bruce thought to himself. _She's pretty..._

"I know, your name is quite popular," Apolena smiled, squeezing back any previous sign of tears. "Apolena Trewly."

"Harvey's girlfriend? I've heard a lot about you, Miss Trewly." Apolena flinched at the mention of Harvey.

"Ex-girlfriend," Apolena mumbled, looking away in hopes to hide any sign of shame.

"What?" Abigail gasped, turning to her friend and placing a firm hand on her back. "You two broke up?"

"I really don't want to talk about it right now," Apolena sighed. Abigail felt thoughts roam her mind. What could've happened? It always seemed like Harvey and Lena were crazy about each other. _Something big must've happened when he left..._

"I'm sorry," Bruce shook his head apologetically. "I didn't know."

"It's fine," Apolena smiled again, shoving away the pain she felt beating against her heart. "It's.. Recent."

"Please, let me get the waitress. I'll pay," Bruce offered, another friendly smile tugging at his face. Abigail couldn't help but feel a bit of amusement at it. _He always seems so grumpy when he's in that suit..._

"Thank you," Apolena smiled shyly, not willing to turn down such an offer. _I guess he is a billionaire, a couple of dollars for a small meal isn't going to hurt him any. _"So, how did you two meet? Abby's never said anything about knowing a billionaire, and with her ego, that's something everyone would've known."

Apolena giggled when Abby turned on Lena angrily. "Hey!" Abby squealed. "I'll have you know Brucie is my cousin."

"Oh?" Apolena raised an eyebrow skeptically. Bruce smirked to cover his worry. _I hope she knows what she's doing._

"Yeah, he was tracking down his ancestors and stuff and it turns out I'm one of his cousins. Mom didn't tell me she had a sister," Abby shook her head. "I guess she didn't want to bring it up after, you know.."

It was a good cover up. Bruce was surprised. "I see," Apolena nodded. "Well, it's nice that you two got to meet."

Bruce chuckled. "Yes, Abby sure is a _delightful _girl." Abby gaped when she heard him use her nickname instead of the usual stern 'Crawford,' she was used to hearing.

"Delightful?" Apolena giggled. "Abby, what drugs did you slip in his coffee?"

Abby squealed and flailed her arms around, "None! He said I'm delightful because I am, you meany!"

"Did she overwhelm you with useless facts yet?" Apolena asked, eyeing Bruce.

"What do you mean?" Bruce smiled.

"Did you know mustard was sold in the 1830's as medicine?" Apolena mocked, causing Abby to groan.

"Hey, that's not even true! It was ketchup!"

"See?"

Bruce chuckled as the two girls interacted in such a teasing manner, Bruce wondered why he never had a friendship like it. Sure, he had Harvey when he was a kid, but they never interacted like this, and well.. Other than Harvey, there didn't seem to be anyone else. Bruce looked on the two with admiration.

"Grilled cheese?" A voice interrupted Bruce's thoughts and the girls interaction. Bruce looked over to an older woman in a waitress uniform, holding two plates in her arms. One a delectable grilled cheese platter and the other a cheeseburger.

"Me!" Abby squealed. As the waitress sat the plate down before Abigail she pounced on it like a lion eating for the first time in years. Bruce looked on her with amusement, sipping from his coffee cup.

"And you had the burger?" The waitress asked in a kind tone, although her expression showed her obvious distaste of her job. Bruce nodded as the burger was set before him.

"If it's not too much trouble, our friend here just arrived. May she order as well?" Bruce asked politely. Apolena shot Bruce a cute, tiny smile as the waitress then took her order of a coffee and chicken noodle soup.

"If it isn't too much to ask, Miss Trewly, I heard you were defending Harvey. Are you still defending him after," Bruce stopped. He supposed that was all he needed to say.

Apolena shook her head. "We're transferring," she sighed. "Oh, and please call me Apolena. Lena, even, if you'd like. You're my closest friends cousin, after all," with that, Apolena glanced over at Abigail who was still digging into her grilled cheese and giggled. "Slob."

Abigail looked up from her grilled cheese with surprise, her mouth full of grilled cheese. A loud, high pitched noise emitted from her mouth and no one had to ask her what she said. _Hey!_

* * *

><p>Once everyone had finished their meal, Apolena stood from the booth and dusted off her red dress with a sigh. She flipped two strands of hair from her eyes and sighed. "I hate to leave, but I've got to go back to the office. Abby, do you need a ride?"<p>

Abigail shook her head. "Nah, Brucie and I want to catch up on lost time. I'll call you later and fill you in on what happened, cool?"

Apolena nodded and glanced over at Bruce, sticking her hand out his way. "It was nice meeting you, Bruce."

"You as well, Apolena," Bruce said as he met her hand with a firm hand shake. With that she turned and walked out of the diner. _She has nice legs, too._

"Are you checking out my friend?" Abby gawked, a cheeky smile playing across her face.

"What?" Bruce remembered Abigail's presence. "No."

"You totally were!" Abby giggled, throwing her arms back in rejoice. "Wow, Brucie. I can't believe Lena of all people..."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not a big fan of you. Well, not _you_, Bruce Wayne, but _you..._" She trailed off. Bruce knew exactly what she meant. He shook his head.

"I wasn't checking her out."

"Whatever you say, pretty boy," Abby giggled. "Shouldn't we finish our conversation from earlier?"

"You remember my question, right? Fight alongside me?" Bruce asked, staring Abigail down. He waited for a sign of fear, a sign of terror. Nothing showed.

"Of course! Did you think I'd say no?" Abigail smiled. "I want Alyssa back. I want to help get her back."

Bruce nodded. "If you'd like, you could stay at Wayne Manor. For training purp-"

"Really?!" Abigail shouted, alarming a couple waitresses. Abby ducked her head shyly. "Um, sure."

Abby couldn't believe it. Fighting with the Batman, and living with Bruce Wayne. What could be better? _Living with the Riddler. _The thought occurred to her, and her face flushed instantly. She pushed the thought away, shaking her head.


End file.
